Sunday, 20 April 2014

John Waters Filth Fest DJ Set List 29 March 2014

/ The great Liz Renay as Muffy St Jacques in Desperate Living (1977) /

Amy
Grimehouse Presents: John Waters Filth Fest

Could you be the filthiest person alive? Then this is your church: a
12-hour mass in praise of the Pope of Trash. Brought to you by anarchic
promoters Amy Grimehouse, it promises all the camp hysteria and debauchery
you'll find in Waters's celebrated movies – obscenity and health and safety
laws permitting. As well as a marathon Waters screening session (including an
Odorama version of Polyester), expect cabaret and live music performances, a
Hairspray-like ball (featuring Corny Collins dance lessons), bizarre
competitions, trampolining, an "eat your makeup" stall and a
"tea bagging booth" (we're not sure either). Dressing up is
compulsory, but be warned: not even Divine could stay looking like Divine for
12 hours.

My slavish
reverence for the oeuvre of cinema’s sleaze John Waters is pretty
well-documented. (Interviewing him in 2010 was the pinnacle of my journalism career. My semi-regular club night Lobotomy Room is virtually a
tribute to Waters). So as well as being honoured to be asked in the first place, DJ’ing
at the triumphant mondo trasho John Waters Filth Fest (organised by immersive
cult cinema / arts club organisers Amy Grimehouse) fit me like a tight (wet)
t-shirt.

/ Talented photographer Elissa Cray was in attendance taking portraits of the clubbers all night. She took this glamour shot of me early on. (The Jayne Mansfield cheesecake pose was her idea) /

/ Divine make-over at the John Waters Filth Fest on 29 March 2014 /

/ The Girl Can't Help It: Divine as Babs Johnson in Pink Flamingos (1972) / Described as
a celebration of all things John Waters, the Filth Fest inevitably included
screenings of beloved Waters trash masturpieces (sic) (including Crybaby,
Desperate Living, Multiple Maniacs, Serial Mom and Polyester, complete with
scratch’n’sniff Odorama cards). But it also incorporated live music (the band
Oh! Gunquit), performance art, vibrator racing, an “eat your make-up” stall, Corny
Collins Show-style dance classes and the crème de la crème of London’s hippest
drag queens emceeing and cavorting in various stages of undress (they truly are
the progeny of Divine). Sadly, the tea
bagging booth didn't seem to happen – I would have been up for that!

/ I call this Christophina Makes a New Friend: My friend (aka "Christopher") with a slut dropping Baby Lame. Note the underwear with skid marks and used tampon decorations - an elegant touch /

/ Christophina Makes a New Friend, Part 2: He gets acquainted with Jacqui Potato /

Proceedings reached
a sordid climax with the Filthiest Person Alive competition. I missed whole chunks
of it because I was in the other room (the Fudge Pit, in fact) sorting out last
minute audio issues with the sound engineer but I could see it through the
window and it was a truly eye-popping Fellini-esque spectacle. Recall the Cavalcade
of Perversions carnival tent in Waters’ 1970 film Multiple Maniacs (vomit
eaters, bicycle seat lickers, “men kissing on the lips like lovers”) and you’re
on the right track. I can definitely confirm copious nudity was involved. At
one point I caught a vivid snatch of performance artist Mouse splashing stark
naked in a children’s paddling pool, stuffing dog food into her orifices. An exhibitionistic
obese guy with moobs who could suck his own nipples ultimately won. (The choice
may have been controversial: the fierce Divine lookalike standing next to me
shook his head in silent disapproval). I think the winner’s name was Timothy. At
the end of the night, when I had packed my DJ bag and was leaving Timothy
was standing outside. He approached and asked if he could come home with me.
When I politely declined he asked if I could find him “a special friend.”

/ Contestants in the Filthiest Person competition. Photo by Alex Menace. Note woman in foreground clutching can of Tyskie. Her costume is the most loving reproduction of what Mole McHenry wears in her guise as female wrestler Wrasslin' Rita in Desperate Living (1977). I was in awe. Just look at that lovingly detailed vagina. Also visible: Moan Crawful in Leigh Bowery-esque leopard skin all-in-one /

/ Baby Lame and the winner of the Filthiest Person competition. I think his name was Timothy. As far as I could tell, his primary talent was self nipple-sucking. Photo by Alex Menace /

/ Susan Walsh as Chiclet in Female Trouble (1974) /I DJ’d
between 11:30 pm – 2:00 am (then superstar DJ John Sizzle took over). I’m
officially spoiled now – I only want to DJ while scantily-clad drag queens do
stripper squats and slut drops. And if only every crowd was so wild, freaky,
trashy and appreciative: being surrounded by Divine lookalikes (and a few
brilliant Mink Stole-as-Connie Marble-in-Pink Flamingos lookalikes) sure is
inspiring. (So is swigging from cans of Tyskie). Obviously I seized this as an opportunity
to wallow in deep vintage musical sleaze. I alternated tracks from John Waters’
best soundtracks (Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble – there was never an official
soundtrack but I pieced it together - Cry-baby, A Dirty Shame) with songs that
sound like they could be from John Waters films, incorporating punk, juvenile
delinquent rockabilly, surf and greasy rhythm and blues (Waters shares my boundless
love for the turbulent Ike and Tina Turner). Playing some Cramps felt pretty
compulsory (interesting bit of trivia: The Cramps were approached to provide
music for the Cry-baby soundtrack, but none of it was used).

/ "I'm a thief and shit kicker and - uh - I'd like to be famous." Unsurprisingly, there were multiple Divine lookalikes at the Filth Fest. This one was my favourite /

/ I only want to DJ with drag queens doing stripper squats and slut drops from now on. (That's Jacqui Potato in the fuchsia wig) /

/ Dance floor action. By this point Jacqui Potato had stripped down to a jockstrap and was lying on the floor bicycling his legs in the air. This is the only shot I managed of the Mink Stole as Connie Marble in Pink Flamingos lookalike /

/ Punk Granny Edith Massey /

/ Pin-up shot of Edith Massey /A few numbers
by Waters leading ladies Edith Massey and Divine were also de rigueur. I love their abrasive, nasty
voices which are somehow alluring and repellent. I always remember someone describing
infamous novelty singer Mrs Miller’s voice as sounding like “roaches scurrying
across a trash can lid.” How beautiful! What could be more punk than that? It’s
a quality that both Divine and Edie share –as does Wayne / Jayne County (punk’s
Venus with a penis) or Kembra Pfahler, frontwoman of New York’s Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. (I played “Pillowcase” by the latter. The snarled chorus
of “painted lips, false eyelashes, dyed hair” always makes me think of John
Waters films). “Edie Conquers Godzilla”
is banging techno music overlaid with samples of Massey’s dialogue from various
Waters films (“I’m in a heavenly mood today!” she squawks as Cuddles in
Polyester). “Punks Get off the Grass” dates from when Massey good naturedly jumped
on the punk bandwagon, donning her black leather dominatrix outfit from Female
Trouble and hitting the road backed by a New Wave band. Hog Princess Divine ultimately saved my ass: at
one point I was bursting for a slash – every DJ’s nightmare. Rockabilly and
punk songs rarely last more than two minutes. I stuck on Divine’s six minute rancid
hi-NRG disco version of Sam Cooke’s "Twistin’ the Night Away". I could actually
hear her lecherous raspy voice booming from the urinal, so I knew I had time to rush
back.

/ Grab life by the boobs: John Sizzle having his tits groped by an admirer /

/ Nice rack! John Sizzle in action. How many nipples can you count? /

/ Nice brief glimpse of the raunchy goings-on at the Filth Fest /

Postscript: Last weekend I re-visited the John Waters’ mid-period trash
masterpiece Polyester (1981). I have it on DVD but hadn't watched it in years.
It was screened at midnight
at the Filth Fest but by then I was deep into DJ’ing in the Fudge Pit. Think
of it as a transitional work between Desperate Living (1977) and Hairspray
(1988). It represents Waters’ tribute to two of his
key influences – William Castle and Douglas Sirk – and as the long-suffering
suburban housewife Francine Fishpaw, features one of Divine’s best and most
sympathetic performances. It also represents the last screen performance by the
ultimate “outsider actress” Massey (1918-1984) as Francine’s friend Cuddles in
a Waters film. For me, Massey and Divine together is one of the great comedic
partnerships – like Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz for freaks, queers and punks.